The metabolism of asbestos is easy to explain: it is not metabolized. Once inhaled, fibers may be deposited and retained in the airways and lung tissue. Because asbestos fibers remain in the body, each exposure to asbestos increases the likelihood of developing an asbestos related disease. Many of these diseases caused by asbestos (asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer) take between 15 and 40 years to be diagnosed
